Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

Castelli Endurance Pro 2 Jersey

8
£115.00

VERDICT:

8
10
A well-designed hot-weather jersey that works well in summer even when the temperature is over 30°C
Excellent breathability
Comfortable fit
Wicking is excellent
Great for hot days
Weight: 
155g

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

What the road.cc scores mean

Good scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.

  • Exceptional
  • Excellent
  • Very Good
  • Good
  • Quite good
  • Average
  • Not so good
  • Poor
  • Bad
  • Appalling

The Castelli Endurance Pro 2 Jersey is a very impressive hot-weather jersey that offers great breathability, wicking and fit.

Our best summer cycling jerseys buyer's guide covers our choices for warm weather, with our best cheap cycling jerseys buyer's guide rounding up top tops from just £21.

I was lucky enough to get this jersey right at the end of the particularly hot June, which considering July was a write-off proved very fortunate indeed – as this is very much a jersey that has been designed with hot weather in mind.

This is clear from the materials used, the jersey featuring mesh pretty much throughout, with a slightly thicker mesh on the body sections and a tighter mesh on the arms.

Mesh jerseys have come in for a fair amount of criticism since a single Instagram picture of Chris Froome back in 2014 that showed him with an incredibly sunburnt – and painful-looking – upper back and shoulders. This won't be the case these days, as Castelli has included a multifilament fabric on the back of the Endurance Pro 2 jersey that is claimed to block 94% of UV rays. I wore this jersey on several very sunny days – remember those? – and suffered no sunburn at all, so that suggests it is effective.

2023 Castelli Endurance Pro 2 Jersey - back.jpg

The jersey fit tends towards the aero, with longer arms and a figure-hugging design. One thing I like about the Endurance Pro 2 compared with some other mesh jerseys is that the material has a fair amount of stretch to it. This means you can wear it comfortably even if you don't have the physique of a yellow jersey contender – ie most of us! – as it moulds around your various lumps and bumps well.

2023 Castelli Endurance Pro 2 Jersey - cuff.jpg

Castelli has also ensured that the Pro 2 is as comfortable as possible by identifying some of the areas of mesh jerseys that can become irritating. So the collar is doubled up with softer material around the neck, and there's soft and stretchy material under the arms to prevent chafing and to allow you a greater freedom of movement.

2023 Castelli Endurance Pro 2 Jersey - collar.jpg

I was able to test this jersey during rides in which the temperature hit the mid 30s and I have to say I found its wicking and breathability excellent. The more recent variable spell meant I was also able to test it through its full claimed 16-35°C temperature range. I found it consistently comfortable, and during the hottest rides it performed as well as any hot-weather jersey I've ever worn.

2023 Castelli Endurance Pro 2 Jersey - shoulders.jpg

The jersey's breathability is complemented by a full-length zip, with a pleasingly large tab, which allows you to cool yourself down even more. In practice I found the jersey's breathability was so good that I rarely needed to do so, except when the thermometer rose into the 30s.

The Endurance Pro 2 has all the features you'd expect in a modern high-end cycling jersey. This includes effective silicone grippers around the hem, which kept everything in place and stopped any bunching even when the jersey pockets were empty.

2023 Castelli Endurance Pro 2 Jersey - hem.jpg

It has the familiar three rear pockets and a separate zipped security pocket on the right-hand side.

2023 Castelli Endurance Pro 2 Jersey - pocket zipped.jpg

These were big enough to carry everything I needed and with enough elasticity to keep everything in place while riding.

2023 Castelli Endurance Pro 2 Jersey - pockets.jpg

Value

The Castelli's £115 RRP is a good price for what is a very impressive jersey, and it compares well with others we've tested.

The Sportful Bomber Jersey is a fiver dearer at £120 and Bryn liked pretty much everything about it – the ventilation, fit and quality – except the price.

The Pas Normal Studios Men's Mechanism Jersey was £150 when we tested it last year and is now £160. Jamie found the ventilation impressive though he was not so keen on the jersey's short cut… or the high price.

For under £100 there's the option of the Aeron Lab Ultralight SS Jersey that's ultra-light and so transparent that Iwein said it left nothing to the imagination…

Conclusion

The Endurance Pro 2 is comfortable, impressive in the heat, and has all the features you want to see in a modern jersey too. It might not be cheap, but it isn't the most expensive we have seen by a long shot.

Verdict

A well-designed hot-weather jersey that works well in summer even when the temperature is over 30°C

If you're thinking of buying this product using a cashback deal why not use the road.cc Top Cashback page and get some top cashback while helping to support your favourite independent cycling website

road.cc test report

Make and model: Castelli Endurance Pro 2 Jersey

Size tested: L

Tell us what the product is for

The ideal all-around jersey for endurance rides, offering comfort and convenience features, excellent moisture management, and Castelli's aerodynamic wizardry.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Endurance and all-around jersey combining aerodynamics, comfort, and convenience

Velocity dimpled fabric on front and shoulders for faster drying

Air Mesh sleeves with raw-cut sleeve ending

Multifilament fabric on back blocks 94% of UV rays

Nervato fabric at armholes for improved aerodynamics

Full-length YKK® Vislon® zipper with neck protector

Silicone gripper elastic at waist

Zippered security pocket

Drop-pocket design for optimal pocket placement

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10

Well made with interesting use of different mesh densities to combine comfort and ventilation.

Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10

Impressive ventilation, a comfortable fit and good material choices result in a jersey that's great for long and hot rides.

Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10

Although this is a mesh construction it doesn't feel at all flimsy and it feels like it should last for years.

Rate the product for fit:
 
8/10

Despite being mesh it has a fair amount of stretch, which allows the aero fit to wrap around all of the lumps and bumps that most of us have!

Rate the product for sizing:
 
8/10

The large size I reviewed fitted as I would have expected from an Italian brand.

Rate the product for weight:
 
7/10

Not the lightest weight for a summer jersey but still light enough for me not to notice it.

Rate the product for comfort:
 
9/10

The combination of material, ventilation and wicking results in an extremely comfortable jersey.

Rate the product for value:
 
6/10

There is no doubt that anything above £100 for a jersey is always going to be considered expensive, but in reality its quality compares pretty favourably with more expensive jerseys.

How easy is the product to care for? How did it respond to being washed?

Simple – popped it in at 30 degrees without any issues.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Very well, it kept me ventilated and comfortable on hot rides while still retaining a nice aero fit.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The little details such as the different material under the arms, which prevents the mesh pinch that you can sometimes get.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

The Sportful Bomber Jersey that Bryn tested comes in at £120 and offers broadly the same ventilation, fit, and quality.

The Pas Normal Studios Men's Mechanism Jersey now costs £160 and is also impressively ventilated, though the cut is shorter than the Castelli.

At under £100 there's the dhb Aeron Lab Ultralight SS Jersey, which is so light that it verges on the transparent, so perhaps not for everyone…

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

An impressive summer jersey with well-thought-out elements, different material placements and a comfort-focused design. It is great for long rides in hot weather.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 35  Height: 6 ft  Weight:

I usually ride: CAAD13  My best bike is: Cannondale Supersix Evo

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed,

George is the host of the road.cc podcast and has been writing for road.cc since 2014. He has reviewed everything from a saddle with a shark fin through to a set of glasses with a HUD and everything in between. 

Although, ironically, spending more time writing and talking about cycling than on the bike nowadays, he still manages to do a couple of decent rides every week on his ever changing number of bikes.

Latest Comments